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On September 9,1971, a riot broke out in Attica Prison, New York State, and quickly spread. Five days later the prison was re-taken by force and 39 people were left dead: 29 prisoners and 10 hostages. At first, the administration tried to blame the guards’ deaths on the rioters, before being forced to renege.

In January 1972, Archie Shepp recorded the album Attica Blues in tribute to this rebellion. After the original and the repeat performance at the Palais des Glaces in 1979 of his Attica Blues Orchestra, Archie Shepp in 2012 revived this fantastic ensemble, together with a brilliant and dynamic collective of performers. It is an orchestra which transcends styles and epochs. The band international in scope, combining the extraordinary abilities of great American artists such as: Amina Claudine Myers, Famoudou Don Moye, Ambrose Akinmusire and Reggie Washington, with an array of some of the brightest stars on the European horizon - a 26-piece orchestra which emits a unique generational and cultural ambiance.

The album was recorded on Sept 9 2012 at the Jazz à La Villette Festival, June 14 2013 at CNCDC de Châteauvallon and on June17 2013 at Les Nuits de Fourvière Festival.

"It takes a great care and precise thinking to align musical compositions with a visual artist's aesthetic, and Reid has managed this ideally." -DownBeat - 4 stars

"'I have been given a gift," Reid says of his new life as a composer. His career attests to his cultivation, stewardship and outreach of this gift." -JazzTimes

"Reid's luscious sound and buoyant swing can levitate an ensemble clear off the bandstand." -New Yorker

"A stalwart bassist and band leader..."

-New York Times

* * *

The inspiration for the epic, five-suite large ensemble work, Quiet Pride, was Reid's fascination with the sculptural work of renown Black American artist Elizabeth Catlett.

"While there is no 'absolute' correspondence, I do feel that she inspired me to mix my own (musical) shapes and lines," explained Reid. The February 11, 2014 release date of Quiet Pride, was Reid's 70th birthday, marking his 50th year in the music industry.

Internationally sought after as an educator, Reid is the acclaimed author of the "The Evolving Bassist"- the definitive bible for every jazz bassist and the industry standard since 1974. He served as the Director of Jazz Studies and Performance Program for 20 years at William Patterson University.

Upon his retirement, Reid set about fulfilling his dream to compose. This ensemble and original composition was made possible by his winning the prestigious Raymond and Beverly Sackler Composition Competition Prize in 2006 for his original three-movement suite, Quiet Pride. Two new movements were completed and added in 2012, leading to this recording.

There is no element more essential to the creation of great jazz than the elusive substance of true synergy. And that quality is in great abundance on Take Me There, the new CD by the Louis Romanos Quartet. To achieve transcendence, it’s essential to aim high – a lofty goal impressively achieved by this quartet of remarkable musicians: Alex Noppe on trumpet and flugelhorn, guitarist Dan Sumner, bassist Neal Starkey, and Louis on drums.

The 12 outstanding compositions were all composed and arranged by Romanos. All of them were spawned from place of deep emotional meaning for the composer, but Louis prefers to allow the audience the freedom of interpretation.

“I leave the meaning of these performances up to the listener. It is my hope they will inspire creativity, playfulness and freedom to soar.”

As with other great composing drummer bandleaders – like Max Roach and Joe Chambers – Louis’ brilliant talents as composer also color his drumming, with his instruments finely tuned and his playing so sonorous that it must be called lyrical. As the guiding force behind the music, his compositions provide an ideal canvas for the other musicians’ imaginative brush strokes.

But achieving musical artistry at the level offered here demands that each of the four musicians brings everything they possess to the music, making it their own within the framework that Louis provides. That they do, from beginning to end of this 12 chapter novel. Sumner and Romanos’ musical connection goes back to 1997 when they co-founded the New Orleans-based ensemble Permagrin. Starkey and Louis have performed together on different occasions since 2005 and while Noppe’s involvement only goes back to 2012, the connection among all four men is tremendous, achieving an ensemble identity that sounds like they’ve been performing together as a unit for much longer.

There is a clear-cut ensemble identity of shared vision and the willingness to suppress ego and virtuosity for its own sake to deliver the message. Seamless interplay, knowing anticipation and total empathy abound. Solos are not simply supported, but punctuated, enhanced and further emphasized by the other musicians. In the classic tradition of the profound art form of jazz, the music tells stories and paints pictures, with Louis’ drumming providing the plot continuity and unifying the color pattern on each canvas. Every piece – from ballad to scorcher – builds in intensity to its appropriate climax without ever losing its focus on the thematic context.

From the first moments of the opening track Songo, the listener knows that this will be a fascinating excursion. A fractured ostinato bass vamp drives the ascending/descending pattern of the theme with stunning interplay between trumpet and guitar - trading solos and phrases, playing in duet and offering lines of support under each other’s emerging statements. It closes with a marvelous drum solo, so visceral and musical that it sounds like an ensemble of hand drummers.

There are some bold and daring choices in the sequencing as well, with pairings of pieces with a similar mood or context that might initially seem repetitive, but in actuality simply extend the meaning and intent of each composition. For example, two works in a mesmerizing Middle Eastern mode are placed back to back. Ania opens with guitar and bass in a slow ostinato vamp. Sinuously slithering trumpet enters over the bass, with the guitar offering oud-like support. Exceptionally colorful and lyrical drums brace the solos. Klezmer immediately follows in a vivid dance of trumpet and guitar in tandem fired by rolling drums and rollicking guitar driving the piece – and the two-track “suite” - to a riveting climax.

Likewise, Second Song, a gentle, lilting but rhythmically insistent ballad featuring a beautiful flugelhorn solo and a melodious, deeply wooded bass solo is followed by the aptly titled Lovely. The guitar and bass set the thematic tone for the flugelhorn to state the beautiful melody. Warmly lyrical and buoyed by harp-like guitar strokes, the music builds in intensity, bringing both pieces to an impassioned finale.

Serenity evolving into passion is also at play on Darling. The winsome theme on flugelhorn is followed by virile bass and soulful Grant Green-ish guitar and taken out by Noppe to a fervent closing. Far Away follows with its sumptuous, captivating theme recurring to frame bass and guitar solos as the exquisite ballad gently unfolds and evolves, bringing both pieces to a poignant ending.

Graceful and refined describes Changes, a slowly evolving piece, richly textured and marked by a soulfully twanging guitar solo built upon Louis’ subtle but firm rhythmic thrust.Something Different is built on an unusual staccato single note bass drone. The guitar-stated theme melds into a spirited solo of bent single notes and vehement chords leading into a potent flugelhorn solo, with both musicians shaping their notes to further tell the story, like writers with a poetic touch.

Spiritual evokes the magnificent John Coltrane piece of the same name with its arco bass, long tones, modal chords, rolling tom-toms and majestic flugelhorn line. It evolves into a brightly charged, staccato themed sizzler, somewhat calypso-like at times.

The heat is on for Brüggermann Jam, a briskly syncopated, very angular, relentlessly driving journey, with scintillating guitar/bass/drums interplay laying the foundation for a scorching trumpet solo. A fiery, exciting, audacious, take-no-prisoners adventure. Blazing is an appropriate word for the album’s final track, Green in Blew, a vigorous piece with a contrapuntal guitar and trumpet theme in overlapping call and response. Incandescent, adventurous and palpably exciting, this short piece brings this extraordinary album to a breathtaking conclusion.

For those who feel that jazz at its best demands the fearless pursuit of innovative adventure, passionate musicality and the loving expression of beauty, Louis Romanos’Take Me There will be a most bountiful experience.

domingo, 25 de enero de 2015

The 7th release by Bay Area guitarist/composer Ray Obiedo "There Goes That" on Rhythmus Records is a another collection of original compositions fused with Latin Jazz, Funk and Brasilian styled rhythms. His eclectic groove oriented compositions never stray far from his love of R&B. The melodies are simply stated and gracefully glide over jazz influenced chord structures. Obiedo enlisted some of the music industries top musicians and longtime cohorts for the project. Percussionist Sheila E, drummer Peter Michael Escovedo, steel pan master Andy Narell, trumpeter Michael "Patches" Stewart and Tower of Power drummer David Garibaldi, all make brief appearances. Santana members David K. Mathews, Karl Perazzo, Jeff Cressman and Bill Ortiz contribute their expertise. Playing soprano sax on two tracks, "Werewolf" and "Four Square", is Miles Davis alumni Kenny Garrett. "There Goes That" also features Norbert Stachel, Elena Ayodele Pinderhughes, Marc & Paul van Wageningen, Roger Glenn, Michael Spiro, Peter Horvath, Stefen Kuehn and Sandy Cressman. Ray has 5 previous releases on the Windham Hill jazz label; this is his first on his own Oakland based Rhythmus Records label. The music on "There Goes That" is a highly energized and hypnotically rhythmic soundscape revealing all the passion, flavor, color and style of the San Francisco Bay Area which conceived, nourished and inspired Obiedo's latest musical venture.

Never has contemporary jazz guitarist Ray Obiedo’s
genuine lifelong affection for the San Francisco Bay Area’s unique musical
personality been more clearly evident or remarkably celebrated than in his
newest CD “There Goes That”, released nationwide on the Rhythmus Records label.

Even as a child growing up in the East Bay, Obiedo
recognized his own profoundly soulful musical connection to the Northern
California region and its eclectic blend of exotic multi-ethnic rhythms. Small
wonder indeed, many years and successful albums later. Ray has steadily emerged
as one the most originally expressive and exciting contemporary jazz talents of
the decade with a delightfully distinct Bay Area flavor thoroughly marinating
his personal jazz signature and nationwide festival performances.

“Among my favorite childhood memories,” Obiedo
recalls while relaxing at his self-owned Werewolf Recording Studios in the
Oakland Hills, were those numerous trips across the bay to places like the
Fillmore Auditorium & Winterland Auditorium to hear some of the greatest
rock bands in the world. Everyone from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Janis
Joplin, to the great Isaac Hayes and Sly Stone. It was exciting, inspirational
and vibrantly alive. For musicians interested in exploring and creating new
sounds, it was absolutely the place to be.

Although Obiedo didn’t begin seriously studying
guitar until his last year in high school, the deep jazz influences of artist
like Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, and Antonio Carlos Jobin had already been
intricately woven into his musical soul. Even the raw soul of the great James
Brown became an indelible component of Obiedo’s musical signature.

As Obiedo became totally focused on mastering his
instrument and learning the craft of songwriting throughout the 70’s and 80’s,
brightly promising career as a professional jazz artist began taking form. His
reputation for musical excellence and creative performance was quickly becoming
acknowledged and respected throughout his beloved Bay Area music community.

Obiedo was soon performing with many of the jazz
community’s most celebrated stars including legendary jazz organist Johnny
“Hammond” Smith, trombonist Julian Priester, Azteca featuring Pete & Sheila
Escovedo, Fourplays’ Harvey Mason. A world tour in 1978-79 with jazz superstar
Herbie Hancock is still one of Ray’s most treasured musical memories.

Ray found time in between his stints as side man to
lead such popular local bands as the fusion ensemble Kick (featuring a very
young Sheila E. on drums and longtime Sonny Rollins pianist Mark Soskin) and
the funk-rock group Rhythmus 21 which showcased many of the Bay Area’s leading
singers.

As a session player, Ray’s guitar work has been
nicely presented on albums by artists as diverse as Lou Rawls, George Duke,
Brenda Russell, Herbie Hancock, Sheila E & the E Train, Freda Payne, The
Whispers, The Delfonics as well as solo albums by jazz trumpeter Eddie
Henderson, former Yellowjackets’ saxophonist Marc Russo and Meters drummer
Zigaboo Modeliste. It was also Obiedo’s memorable guitar solo that so sweetly
highlighted sax star Grover Washington Jr’s last hit cover of the classic
single “Soulful Strut”.

Eventually launching his own solo recording career
on the Windham Hill Jazz label, Obiedo recorded and released no less than five
contemporary jazz albums over the following few years to steadily increasing
levels of critical praise and commercial success.

Beginning with his debut CD “Perfect Crime”,
through “Iguana”, “Sticks & Stones”, “Zulaya” and “Sweet Summer Days”,
Obiedo has consistently remained loyal to his rhythm and blues roots while also
sharpening his Afro-funk instincts and highlighting his natural flair for
utterly infectious pop and Latin / Brasilian grooves. As a result, he has both
discovered and cultivated a fiercely devoted international following.

Typical of Obiedo’s album successes was his “Sticks
& Stones” CD which peaked at No. 7 on Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart
and remained in the top 25 for more than 10 weeks. It also scored as high as
No. 5 on the Radio & Records N A C chart and the Gavin Report adult
alternative chart in addition to placing in the Top 20 on the Gavin Report.

Currently appearing with Obiedo on his latest
release ”There Goes That” are a number of all-star jazz luminaries including
Miles Davis alumni Kenny Garrett, percussionist Sheila E, steel pan master Andy
Narell and current Santana members percussionist Karl Perazzo and keyboardist
David K Mathews.

Like one of his idols Henry Mancini, Obiedo’s music
has found it’s way to the silver screen. Ray has contributed source music to
major motion pictures “Internal Affairs” starring Richard Gere and “A Shock to
the System” starring Michael Caine. Ray also collaborated with
singer/songwriter Teresa Trull for the soundtrack to Nicloe Conn’s “Claire of
the Moon”. Obiedo further established and solidified his compositional
credentials by writing successful songs for other musical performers, The
Whispers, Tower of Power, Andy Narell, Sheila E, Pete Escovedo Orquestra,
Marion Meadows, Linda Tillery, guitarist Bruce Forman, master funk drummer David
Garibaldi and percussionist Bill Summers.

In recent years, Ray has concentrated heavily on
his production/ engineering skills. In addition to producing his own album
projects, he has produced and or engineered a variety of major and
independently released CD’s. Obiedo co-produced guitarist Joyce Cooling’s
1997’s highly successful release “Playing it Cool” for Heads Up Records,
keyboardist Tom Grant’s “Tune It In” for Windhill Jazz Records and saxophonist
Marion Meadows’ “Next To You”. His most recent co-production and engineering
credit includeds Amikaeyla’s “Being in Love” featuring bass superstar Esperanza
Spalding.

Recent tour as a sideman included a 2012 U.S. run
with Still Black, Still Proud “An African Tribute to James Brown” featuring
Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis, Vusi Mahasela and Cheikh Lo.

“Time is absolutely one of the most precious and
valuable luxuries in the recording industry,” Obiedo explains, “and without
question, the greatest advantage of owning my own studio is having all the time
I need to make sure each and every track is as close to perfection as possible.
That’s simply not possible under other circumstances, when time spent in a
studio can very quickly and easily become prohibitively expensive.
Unfortunately, creative decisions are made based on economic considerations
rather than musical ones. Albums produced in that fashion may be fiscally
expedient, but they’re not necessarily an accurate reflection of the artist’s
musical vision”.

His last three CD’s, “Sweet Summer Days”, “Modern
World” and “There Goes That” were recorded at Obiedo’s Werewolf Recording
facilities in the Oakland Hills. It’s the primary reason Ray feels more excited
than ever about his recording future.

Indeed, the world of contemporary jazz guitarist
Ray Obiedo is a highly energized and hypnotically rhythmic soundscape revealing
all the passion, flavor, color, and style of the Northern California region
which conceived, nourished and inspired the musical soul of this fascinating
and prolific jazz artist.

We invite you to enjoy this refreshing and best music video with Ray Obiedo of his CD "Sweet Summer Days" groove "Cha The Island":

martes, 20 de enero de 2015

Ellen LaFurn is both a flautist by training and a jazz singer by instinct. Her instrumental training gives her that important sensitivity to pitch and dynamics, but her creamy voice is more than just perfect In intonation- she has that grasp for the words and the message of the songs she sings down pat.

In her own words, `I started singing professionally at the age of 17 with a "show group" called Chang Lee and the Zaniacs. Before this I sang at teen dances and teen niteclubs--once with Little Anthony & the Imperials. I joined Jerry Mitchell and the Impacts: working and learning from many jazz greats; including Roland Hanna, Gus Johnson, Danny Gibson and my friend, Miss Rhapsody. Next came the Joe Zarr trio with the late Al Ross on organ and Warren Battiste on guitar. Also during this time I worked with two other groups: The Traces and the Gary Kay Trio.At Kean University I was the featured vocalist with the Big Band Workshop, a member of the Woodwind Choir and concert band. I recorded on an album entitled Danny & Friends and became the vocalist with the Bob Ackerman Group--through whom I met my late husband, Gerry LaFurn. Gerry played lead trumpet with Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Charlie Barnet & Jimmy Dorsey, as well as being conductor/arranger for Mimi Hines and Don Costa's chief orchestrator. He is most remembered for the recording made when he co-led a big band with Charlie Persip called Superband. Of course, I learned a great deal about music and life from Gerry. Formally, I was a Flute major at Kean College, vocalist and flutest with the jazz band, and studied privately both flute and voice.I "retired" from performing to raise my special daughter and taught in Jersey City's public schools for many years. Now, I've retired from teaching and am back to my first love--music performance. In my music you will hear the passion and excitement of a young person together with the experience of a life lived.'In "C'est La-Furn" Ellen not only shows his affection for The Great American Songbook but also to the Latin Jazz, through the Brazilian music.The ensemble is Ellen LaFurn, vocals, Vic Cenicola, guitar, Rave Tesar, piano, Ron Naspo, Bass, and Patrick Cuttitta, drumsjim@jazzpromoservices.comwww.jazzpromoservices.comjazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

Tenor and soprano saxophonist Michael Eaton has impacted contemporary jazz since his 2008 arrival in Brooklyn. Hailing from a Kansas City suburb, Eaton studied at Indiana University. Around NYC, he has worked in diverse settings with singers, minimalists, African percussion, Miles Davis type funk/fusion, or instrumental rock cover bands. Since collaborating with mentor David Liebman, Eaton is now doing his own original compositions and sounds like a darker, ebony-toned version of Liebman. Based on the release of his debut recording for the Destiny label, Individuation, Eaton’s music has taken off. He opens on this night with his quintet—trumpeter Jon Crowley, keyboardists Brad Whiteley and Dorian Wallace, bassist Daniel Ori and drummer Shareef Taher—then joins Wallace's Free Sound Ahn-Somble. - Hot House Magazine January 2015